• Please read the Announcement concerning missing posts from 10/8/25-10/15/25.
  • This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Use oil as a weapon against the US

Dittohead not!

master political analyst
DP Veteran
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
52,046
Reaction score
34,013
Location
The Golden State
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
That's the advice of an Iraqi diplomat.

Our war against Iraq is beginning to pay off!

Liberated Iraq calls on Arab states to use oil as 'weapon' against U.S.

A top Iraqi diplomat urged Arab states to “use the weapon of oil” against the United States because of its alliance with Israel, raising more questions about the Middle Eastern nation's allegiance to the country that freed it from a ruthless dictatorship.
Read more: Liberated Iraq calls on Arab states to use oil as 'weapon' against U.S. | Fox News
[/COLOR]
 
What, you thought they'd become Bush-ites overnight? Please, Iraq has not even begun to replenish its social capital, which is necessary for rapid development. The democratic regime is looking out for its own interests, big surprise.
 
just one more reason that we need to replace oil as soon as possible.
 
Why is this news. The hostile Arab countries have been saying this for decades. We've got you by the balls with our oil and now (^(^& on it. Fortunately this is not as true as it use to be and as AE gets more and more of the pie it will become irrelevant and maybe even reversed.

WOuldn't that be interesting.
 
Why is this news. The hostile Arab countries have been saying this for decades. We've got you by the balls with our oil and now (^(^& on it. Fortunately this is not as true as it use to be and as AE gets more and more of the pie it will become irrelevant and maybe even reversed.

WOuldn't that be interesting.
So, what do they buy from us that we can restrict?
 
So, what do they buy from us that we can restrict?

???? As I said if AE got going we would have excess oil, Natural gas. At some point they may start running out or even beyond energy we may end up having something they want really bad. Just playing games.
 
???? As I said if AE got going we would have excess oil, Natural gas. At some point they may start running out or even beyond energy we may end up having something they want really bad. Just playing games.

AE meaning alternate energy? If we have more AE, which is pretty much limited to the production of electricity, it won't decrease oil demand much, as we use very little oil to generate electricity. That fix was started by Jimmy Carter. In his day, IIRC, about 20% of our electricity came from bunker oil. Now it is 3% or less...
Natural gas makes an adequate fuel for the internal combustion engine, but not a good one. Liquid fuels, gasoline and diesel, are still far superior for long haul trucking. OTOH, we could use trains more and trucks less for long haul. The diesel electric locomotive is about the most efficient in tons per mile as you can get. More bang for the buck.... Energy density is highest in liquid fuels, and there are no viable direct alternatives for them, yet.
If we ever manage to solve OUR oil problem, OPEC had better find a way to eat their oil....
 
is there a word for "gratitude" in their language? OTOH, I don't recall Iraqi citizens ever asking us to rid them of their cruel dictator.
Maybe GWB should have left well enough alone....

It's looking more and more like there is less and less "maybe" about it.
 
AE meaning alternate energy? If we have more AE, which is pretty much limited to the production of electricity, it won't decrease oil demand much, as we use very little oil to generate electricity. That fix was started by Jimmy Carter. In his day, IIRC, about 20% of our electricity came from bunker oil. Now it is 3% or less...
Natural gas makes an adequate fuel for the internal combustion engine, but not a good one. Liquid fuels, gasoline and diesel, are still far superior for long haul trucking. OTOH, we could use trains more and trucks less for long haul. The diesel electric locomotive is about the most efficient in tons per mile as you can get. More bang for the buck.... Energy density is highest in liquid fuels, and there are no viable direct alternatives for them, yet.
If we ever manage to solve OUR oil problem, OPEC had better find a way to eat their oil....

I doubt this suggested oil embargo will happen. But if it did and if it was long term.....coal gasification would happen and ethanol plants would ramp up production. Prius and Volt sales would increase, as would flex-fuel vehicles.
 
I doubt this suggested oil embargo will happen. But if it did and if it was long term.....coal gasification would happen and ethanol plants would ramp up production. Prius and Volt sales would increase, as would flex-fuel vehicles.

at the very least, the western hemisphere nations, who at least pretend to like us, would stop buying Saudi oil until the royal family takes their well deserved place as leaders of the region, and send THEIR people and spend THEIR money solving the problems the Muslim nations have....
the first thing they should do is put an end to the teaching of hatred to all things not "of Islam".....hang those who preach it until the rest take notice.
 
I doubt this suggested oil embargo will happen. But if it did and if it was long term.....coal gasification would happen and ethanol plants would ramp up production. Prius and Volt sales would increase, as would flex-fuel vehicles.

XL Pipeline might get another look too
 
Iraq and Iran may be pumping off the same oil reserve from what I have read. Iraq would be better off going the other direction with their prices, but Saudi Arabia knows who butters their bread and then there is Canada. I doubt Iraq or Iran could grow enough crops to sustain themselves long term, so let them starve themselves into submission--we wouldn't have to lift a finger.
 
just one more reason that we need to replace oil as soon as possible.

Yes, but it's not possible yet. So let's talk honestly about the science of that, instead of the usual fantasy rhetoric we hear from the left. Most lefty's idea of replace is much simpler than the real solution that may be implemented many years from now.

This will be replace with a capital R.
 
Yes, but it's not possible yet. So let's talk honestly about the science of that, instead of the usual fantasy rhetoric we hear from the left. Most lefty's idea of replace is much simpler than the real solution that may be implemented many years from now.

This will be replace with a capital R.

it would take a while even if we treated it like the national security priority that it is; decades at the low end.

I'd like to see public / private partnerships innovating together and then presenting potential solutions that we can choose from.
 
Yes, but it's not possible yet. So let's talk honestly about the science of that, instead of the usual fantasy rhetoric we hear from the left. Most lefty's idea of replace is much simpler than the real solution that may be implemented many years from now.

This will be replace with a capital R.

I think the energy is at its boiling point now. You think it may take many years. I think it will not.
 
AE meaning alternate energy? If we have more AE, which is pretty much limited to the production of electricity, it won't decrease oil demand much, as we use very little oil to generate electricity. That fix was started by Jimmy Carter. In his day, IIRC, about 20% of our electricity came from bunker oil. Now it is 3% or less...
Natural gas makes an adequate fuel for the internal combustion engine, but not a good one. Liquid fuels, gasoline and diesel, are still far superior for long haul trucking. OTOH, we could use trains more and trucks less for long haul. The diesel electric locomotive is about the most efficient in tons per mile as you can get. More bang for the buck.... Energy density is highest in liquid fuels, and there are no viable direct alternatives for them, yet.
If we ever manage to solve OUR oil problem, OPEC had better find a way to eat their oil....

I am tired of trying to explain the advantages of AE and its productive and economic benefits to those who hold to the ostrich view. If AE was given the same breaks as conventional energy sources the all around benefits would be enormous but the ostrich crowd looks at the "new" things and cries mommy I'm scared and buries their heads in the ground. Probably did the same thing when Gates started his business.
 
This is the kind of thing I worry about. Sooner or later, oil will be used as a weapon against us. If we stop needing it so bad, then we take away the weapon.
 
I am tired of trying to explain the advantages of AE and its productive and economic benefits to those who hold to the ostrich view. If AE was given the same breaks as conventional energy sources the all around benefits would be enormous but the ostrich crowd looks at the "new" things and cries mommy I'm scared and buries their heads in the ground. Probably did the same thing when Gates started his business.
if you think I am against AE, you missed the point.....but lets be clear about what is alternative, and what is supplemental.....wind and solar are not adequate alternatives to coal, nuclear, hydro, natural gas, etc. because wind and solar are not 24/7 sources. Use them when and where you can, but they will never operate 24/7.....
And the other point, none of the supposed alternates to OIL have the energy density of gasoline or diesel. There are NO cost effective alternatives available NOW.
Electricity is not in short supply, we have many ways of making it.....oil is plentiful as well, just not in easy to get places, or cheap to extract..
Oil is not made by man, it has to be found and processed and refined to match the end uses.
This issue has been researched up the whazoo, nothing exists on the near horizon, but if it ever does happen, the oil cartels are going to crap themselves silly when the market for their oil dries up....
 
if you think I am against AE, you missed the point.....but lets be clear about what is alternative, and what is supplemental.....wind and solar are not adequate alternatives to coal, nuclear, hydro, natural gas, etc. because wind and solar are not 24/7 sources. Use them when and where you can, but they will never operate 24/7.....
And the other point, none of the supposed alternates to OIL have the energy density of gasoline or diesel. There are NO cost effective alternatives available NOW.
Electricity is not in short supply, we have many ways of making it.....oil is plentiful as well, just not in easy to get places, or cheap to extract..
Oil is not made by man, it has to be found and processed and refined to match the end uses.
This issue has been researched up the whazoo, nothing exists on the near horizon, but if it ever does happen, the oil cartels are going to crap themselves silly when the market for their oil dries up....

there is an alternative to gas and diesel. RE is the alternative to gas and algae is the alternative to diesel and jet fuel.

My point here is stop saying it can't be done it can't be done and get on the wagon with those of us who know it can with some very minor fixes.

How is wind not a 24/7 resource. does wind stop when the sun goes down. Apparently you have never fished on Lake Michigan or been in Oklahoma. Storing energy from these sources is right now an issue though.

Your last sentence makes no sense. Have you ever been to SF or just north of Madison wis? Or in the Oklahoma badlands or South Dakota? IF you have not then I suggest you look into it. How about the California Solar Farms? The tech is out there and now it just needs the same breaks as big oil to get on an equal footing.

You want AE fight for it. Get the legislators to put up or shut up.

There are already wind farms the power the hones of 250K people in several states and more on the horizon. From an economic standpoint if we don't start developing AE we will be so far behind, Germany, Japan, China, and others that we will be again dependant on someone else just not the ME.

RE fuels can replace our need for gas/diesel and other fuels and they are 24/7. Once we get use to the idea oil will become a fond or unpleasant memory.
 
Back
Top Bottom